My name is Karen Abplanalp, born in Switzerland and raised in New Zealand. I am a multi-award winning photojournalist who travelled to West Papua in 2016 - the first TV crew to visit the Indonesian ruled Melanesian region in 50 years. Trained as a fashion photographer, I followed my passion for people and social justice, leading to the publication of stories from; Timor Leste, Solomon Islands, Indonesia, Belgium, UK, New Zealand, India, Fiji, West Papua and Samoa. Stories include; Following a women’s theatre group, Stages of Change, who use theatre to reduce violence against women and children in the Solomon Islands. A multi-award winning investigation into the world's largest gold mine in West Papua amid allegations of human rights violations and severe environmental damage. I have worked on projects for the British Council, European Union, UNICEF along with many small, grassroots organisations. I love to collaborate so please get in touch with your ideas and see what we can achieve together.
